Recent systematic survey and excavations in La Serena region are contributing with new data about changing landscapes between the Iron Age and Roman times. The main focus of this activity has been the valley of the Ortigas, a tributary of the Guadiana River. The origin of this research was to provide a territorial framework for the excavation carried out at the protohistoric site of Cancho Roano, but little by little it has widened its historical and geographical objectives. Archaeological analysis of territory is directed towards the recognition of successive agrarian landscapes, resulting from the implementation of different models of social and economic organization. One of the main focuses of research is the transition from late protohistoric to early Roman times. In this paper we will show some preliminary results of several analyses relevant to this historical problem. On the one hand, data from intensive surveys allows us to make comparisons between protohistoric and Roman locational criteria and settlement intensity. On the other hand, selective topographical surveys are helping us to increase our knowledge of the so-called “recintos torre” (small fortified sites of gigantic stone masonry), traditionally dated between the first century BC and the Imperial period. Lastly, recent excavation and review of the Cueva del Valle site (a cave sanctuary of the first century AD) allowed us to revisit the study of the religious dimension in the shape of the agrarian landscape in Roman times. Together with the treatment of these historical specific problems, we discuss the methodological advances and difficulties. These are mainly related to the application of non-destructive techniques like surface survey.

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